Could you tell the difference between chic or cheap table accessories? Don’t be so sure. Home-decorating expert Hélène Benhamou brought a surprising tabletop challenge to NBC’s The Today Show recently. Katie Couric and Helene presented pairs of settings, while viewers tried to tell the difference between tables decorated with items from the ultra-chic A La Maison versus the ultra-accessible JC Penney. Katie may have guessed correctly, but the majority of the audience placed their bets on the wrong settings!

Benhamou is the owner of A La Maison, Mad Ave’s chic boutique of home décor, and this was a return visit to the The Today Show which likes to feature her fresh, fun, and colorful decorating inspirations. Chic and cheap used to be worlds apart before Benhamou. Now, with singular savoir-faire, she combines the best of both worlds to create table settings within any budget. She also showed viewers how to decorate for a romantic alfresco dinner, as well as create chic backyard BBQ settings. Helene remarked, “With a little creativity and a trip to your nearest reasonable retailer, you can create that Madison Avenue chic look.” Or you can head straight to A La Maison for the real thing! For more details and photos from the The Today Show, visit Hélène’s website: www.alamaison1.com.